Wrench and jar opener



July 22, 1941.

G. M. sAERDOTE WRENCH AND JAR OPENER Orgina'l Filed Jan. 29 1930 3 Sheets-Sheet 1 INVENTOR v G. M. SACERDCJTE` WRENCH AND JAR OPENER July .22, 1941.

Original Filed Jan, 29.. 193O 3 Sheets-Shee't 2 fynl INVENTOR July 22, 1941. c. M. sAcl-:RDOTE WRENCH AND JAR OPENER 3 Sheets-Sheet 5 original .Filed Jan. 29, 1930 f 71 venlo/f' Patented July 22, 1941 inviten STATES PATENT orifice Guido-M. Sacerdote, Manhasset, N. Y.

. RefiledY for abandoned application .Serial No.

424,201, January 29, 1930. This application March 17, 1939, Serial No. 262,439 Y Y 4 Claims. (Cl. 81--12S) 'Ihis invention relates to wrenches and more particularly refers to improvements in wrenches ofv thetype in which two clamping members telescopically slidable in relation to each other are employed-Y ,Y

The primary object of this invention is to provide a wrench of a novel Yand improved design comprising two telescopically related clamping members adapted tobe quicklyset in or released from any desired position.

Anotherl object is to provide `aV wrench of a novel and simple design in which the two clamping members can be quickly moved apart or towards each other, and set at a distance from each other slightly different from the one actually desired therebetween, said wrench being furthermore provided with means for thereafter effecting a relatively small displacement of one member in relation to the other, said means being also adapted to effectively lock4 the two clamping members against relative longitudinal movement Y A further object is to provide a novel and improved type of wrench which canybe made out of sheet metal throughout, if desired, and which can,therefore, be manufactured at relatively low cost.

A still further object `is to provide in a device of the character hspecified comprising two telescopically clamping members, means of a novel and effective character for effecting small relative adjustments of said two members and for retaining said two members in position.

An additional object is to provide in a device of the character specified comprising two telescopically related members, prongs or equivalent means associated therewith, adapted to firmly grip a cap or cover such as are currently used in preserve jars, for the purpose of turning said cap or cover loose from its seat.

. Other objects and advantages of the present invention will more fully appear as the descriptionp'r'oceeds and will be set forth and claimed inthe appended claims. Adjustable wrenches generally comprise two clamping members, formed with stem portions slidably or telescopically connected to each other, eachstem portion terminating with a clamping portion or jaw `laterally projecting therefrom, and means for adjusting vthe relative position of the two members and for retaining them in the adjusted position. l

'Thefadjusting means frequently 'comprise a nut rotatablymounted on one .of the members and 'a threadedportion integral with theother member intermeshing therewith, and the nut being preferably provided with a square thread of relatively small pitch. i

In other cases one of the members is provided with spaced notches or serrations While the other member is providedwith means for engaging said notches or serrations locking the two members in position, said locking means being adapted to be disengaged from the notches or serrations, s o as to allow relative adjustment of the two members.

By my present invention I have sought to retain all the advantages of the gradual adjustment obtainable by means of threaded elements, at the same time insuring quick operation ofthe device when the same is to be adjusted from one position to' another.

Furthermore, the nature of my arrangement is such that the elements of which the device is composed can be produced at relatively low cost, so that an inexpensive and at the same time effective construction results.

The main characteristic of my invention residesin the provision of means adapted to becomev operative at spaced intervals for effecting fractional adjustments of the two clamping members; said means permitting rapid shifting of the two members from one position to another when inoperative and locking the two members in position when said adjusting means are made operative,

By virtue of this arrangement the wrench can therefore be quickly adjusted for major displacements of the two clamping members, and the minor supplementary.adjustments thereof may also be instantly effected.

Various representative embodiments of my invention are illustrated Vin the drawings, in which:

Fig.1 is a plan view of a wrench embodying my invention; Y Y

Fig. 2 is a fragmentary side elevation thereof;

Fig, 3 is a fragmentary longitudinal section thereof; y n

VFig'. V4 is afragmentary reverse plan view of thesame;

Fig. 5 is a cross sectional view in an enlarged scale of the same through line 5 5 of Fig. 2;.

Fig.l 6 is a detailview in perspective of a movable dog used inthe device of Figs. 1 to 5;

,Fig "l is a Vplan view of a deviceof somewhat 'different construction, also embodying my'invention; y

. Fig. 8 is a fragmentary side elevation thereof showing Vthlcam member detached;

Fig. 9 is a cross sectional view of the same through line 9-9 of Fig. 7;

Fig. 10 is a. plan view of a device embodying my invention in still another alternative form;

Fig. 11 is a side view in elevation thereof; and

Fig. l2 is an end View in elevation thereof.

Referring to Figs. l to 6, it will be observed that the wrench to which this invention refers essentially consists of two clamping members one of which I for the sake of clarity I will call the male member and the other I I I will call the female member. The male member is composed surface of stem portion I4, so that cam member I9 can be rotated in a clockwise direction to lock dog 25 in position.

of a shank or stem portion I2 and a jaw portion i3 laterally extending therefrom, and in a similar manner the female member is composed of a shank or stem portion I4 and a jaw portion I5.

The stem portion I2 of the male member is inserted and slidably within the stem portion I4 of the female member, said stein portion I4 being channeled in section. When the two members are thus assembled in telescopio relation to each other, the two jaw portions I3, I5 are opposite to each other and form the clamping portions proper of the wrench.

The inner edges of the laterally projecting ends of said jaw portions are preferably turned at right angles to the body of the device, as shown at I8, I'I, forming two parallel clamping surfaces, which may be moved towards or away from each other to fit different sizes of nuts.

The upper surface of thestem portion I4 of the female member is provided with an opening I8 and is also provided in proximity thereof with a cam member I9 rotatably mounted at 20. Said cam member is provided with a notch 2| which Y transversal slots 23 which travel past opening I8 as the male member is made to slide inone direction or the other.

In operation when the surfaces of the two jaws I5, II have been brought against'the faces of a nut on which the device is to be used, the cam 'z member I3 is brought to the position shown in Fig. l where it clears opening I8, and the two clamping members are moved a trifle apart, enough to bring the slotV 23 which is nearest the inner edge of opening I8 to an exposed point in `V close proximity of said edge. When this is `done a dog 25 which is formed with two side arms 26, 21 mounted in longitudinal slots 28 provided at the sides of stem portion I4, so as to vb e tiltable about their pivotal supports 29 entering said slots, and so as to be capable of sliding longitudinally along said slots, is tilted frontwardly and downwardly causing its downwardly projecting lug 30 at the front to enter said slot 2'3 nearest the inner edge of notch 2|.

Lug 30 extends `downwardly from a plate 3I which will rest on top of stem portion I2 of the male member when the Vdog is lowered to its operative position. The outer end of said plate is bent upwardly to form end wall 32 and is then bent inwardly to form a lip 33 spaced from plate 3| a distance 34 sunicient to admit the thickness of cam member I9. v

When dog 25 isinserted in positionl the .upper surface of plate 3I vremains ush with the upper Once this is done the two clamping members are once more shifted towards each other until the inner surface of wall 32 strikes the edge of cam member I9. Opening I8 is longer than the distance between the front and rear walls of the dog, so that if the dog is made to, slide along slots 28 when it is in its downward position with its plate 3| inserted within opening I8 said plate may travel a distance not less than that separating slots 23 from one another; so that if the dog becomes connected to the stem portion I2 of the male clamping member in the manner described, said male clamping member may be displaced longitudinally of the female member within the limits stated.

The clamping members are now once more inserted over the nut and cam member I9 is rotated in a clockwise direction thereby gradually forcing the male clamping member inwardly. As soon as the two clamping surfaces abut against the faces of the nut the wrench may be used in the ordinary manner, the two clamping members being securely locked against moving apart by the actionofthe cam member. l

The eccentrieity of the cammember is such as to effect a displacement of the male member corresponding to not less than the distance separating-slots 23 from each other, when said cam member is lrotated from one of its extreme positions to the other; so that a full adjustment of the two clamping members may be obtained for the entire rangeof displacement allowed by the slotsY 23, the large adjustments being readily effected when dog 25 is tilted outwardly to its inoperative position and the small adjustments being effected when the dog 25 is lowered to its operative position. The usefulness of the device as a household appliance can be considerablyincreased if the outer end of the male member is provided with a fiange 35 formed with two spaced downwardly directed lprongs 36y formed with a sharp inner edge 31 and if the female member is similarly provided near its clamping end withl another flange such as 38, said ange being formed with two downwardly directed prongs 39 provided withwasharp inner edge 40.

w The-prongs are so shaped that they can firmly grip the crown of an ordinary preservejar cap when the wrenchvisoperated in the manner described.

In Figsl'ito 9, I illustrate an alternativeV embodiment of *my invention lIn` the same, 40 designates the male clamping member, formed with aA male stem portion 4I which is slidably inserted through channeled stem portion 42 of the `female clampingmember 43. M l y l f At a point along; its stemjportion the male member` carries a cam Jmember 44 pivotally mountedat'45, said cam memberprojectingrabove and'across thelsurface lof fen'ialestemrportion 42. Said cam member is provided `with la downwardlyjextending segmental; ca m shaped rim portion 46 which extends below the levelofthe surface of female stem` poittioi'il-IIZ.` 'Howeven when! the cam member'is'in 'af' certain position as shown in FigJ?, said rim/portion entirely clears stem portion4 .4 2, and, therefora it :is :possible l to freely cause sliding movement. of .the .male member in one or the other direction.' if j L V; Thegsurface, ofthe female stemi'portionj42 `directly underneath the cam imemb'enis formed with-a number of spaced indentationsY or fnotches 41, shaped to permit the rim portion 46 of the cam member to enter. and slide therethrough when the cam member is rotated.

The cam member may be turned` around its pivot by means of two diametrically opposed wings 49, 55 upwardly projecting therefrom, and rotation ofthe cam member may be effected at any time the inner end I of rim portion 46 reg isters with one of the notches 41. The eccentricityof rim portion .46 is such as to cause an inward displacement of the male member in relation to the female member of not less than the distance separating notches 41 from one another when the cam member is displaced from one of its extreme operative positions to the other. f. e

The device is used in the following manner: the two jaws of the clamping member are rapidly brought against the faces of the nut to be inserted in position or removed therefrom, while the cam member is left in its inoperative position shown in Fig. 7. AThis being done the two jaws are moved slightly apart enough to cause end 5I of rim portion 46 to register with the nearest notch 41, and the same member is rotatedin a clockwise direction causing the two clamping members to become locked against relative longitudinal movement except for the small gradual inward displacements of the male member which take place as the cam member is rotated Vwith its rim portion through the notch 41 and its correspon-ding notch 48.

In this manner the two jaws of the clamping members may again be brought to the proper distance for embracing the nut, and when this position is reached the movement of the cam member Y.will be terminated and thev device is ready for use.

This type of Vconstruction has the advantage over the one previously described of requiring only three main parts instead of four; on the other hand its eccentricity is limited to possibly a 120 arc while in the previous case the same amount of eccentricity may be distributed along an arc of possibly 330; therefore, in this case a much smaller cam is needed for the same amount of longitudinal -displacement of the male member.

Also in this case both the male and the female member can be provided with downwardly directed prongs such as shown at 52, 53 in order to extend the usefulness of the device to the opening of jars and similar receptacles.

In Figs. to 12 I illustrate a preferred embodiment of my invention, also requiring only three main parts. In the same 54 designates the male clamping member formed with a male stem portion 55, which is slidably inserted through channeled stem portion 56 of the female clamping member 51.

The upper part of the female clamping member is embossed to form a central longitudinal ridge58, and the male clamping member is similarly embossed to form a central longitudinal ridge 59, nesting within ridge 58 when the stem 55 of the male member is inserted through the longitudinal opening formed'by the female member.

At a point along its ridge 58 the female member carries a cam member 60, pivotally mounted at 6l, said cam member being similar to the one described in connection with the device of Figs. '1 to `9, that is, being in the form of a flat disk provided with a downwardly extending segmental cam shaped rim portion 62, which extends below the level of the surface of ridge 59 of the male member, said. ridge risingl above. the level of the topzsurfaceo'f the sides of the female mem'- beigas Fig. 12 clearly shows.

The upper part of the female member is also provided with'an opening 63, spaced from the pivot 6| of theV cam a distance permitting free play ofthe rim portion 62 of thecam when the cam-ig rotated in a clockwise direction from its normal inoperative position shown in Fig. l0. The stem of the male member is correspondingly provided along its .ridge 59 with a series of transversal slots vt4, adapted .to be engaged by the rim portion 62 of the rcam and co-act therewith in producing fractional displacements of the male member in the .clamping direction. It will be understood that 'also in this case the eccentricity of the rim portion 62 of the cam is sufiicient to cause an inward displacement of the male member in relation to the female member of not less that the Sdistance separating slots 54 from .one

another; f

The male and female member forming part of the-device can be provided with 'any type of jaws suitablefor the work for which the device isintended. In ther drawings, the device is illustrated in the form of a jar opener, the forward end of the male member being bent downward-ly, as shownv at E5, and then inwardly .to form a jaw 66 having a serrated edge 61, said jaw being vertically spaced from thestem 55.

The bottom part of the female member similarly has its front end bent Vdownwardly as shown at (i1-and then inwardly to form a jaw 58 having a serrated edge E9, said jaw 68 being level with the jaw 65 of the male member. k

The two jaws 66, 68 are so shaped as to be adapted t0' firmly clamp the threaded top of a j arl therebetween and owingto their shape, when set at theproperdistance from each other, they can also be used to remove the `cap from a beer bottle in awell knownvmanner.

If desired, the device can also be equipped with a pointed prong 10 forwardly extending from the front end of the male member and a cutting blade 1I, downwardly extending from the front end of the female member. When thus equipped the device can also be used to open ordinary cans by puncturing and inserting the prong 10 through the center of the top of the can and by using it as a pivot to rotate the device after the blade 1l has been forcedr through Vthe top in proximity of the periphery thereof in a well known manner.

It will be observed that by providing suitable graduations on the male member and on the cam, the constructions herein illustrated can also be applied for producing calipers and' kindred devices.

The specific details of construction of my device may be modified in other ways without departing from the inventive idea. The drawings will, therefore, be understood as being intended for illustrative purposes only and not in a limiting sense.

I accordingly reserve the right to carry my invention into practice in all those ways and manners which may enter, fairly, into the scope of the appended claims,

This application is a substitute for my abandoned application Serial No. 424,201, filed' Jan. 29, 1930.

I claim:

1. A device of the class described comprising a sheet' metal male clamping member having a relatively wide and thinY shank portion, a sheet metal female clamping. member formed With a shank portion having its edges bent inwardly to form a channeled structure slidably embracing the shank portion of said male clamping member for substantially the full length thereof, said female shank portion acting as a handle for the device, one of said members being xed and the other being longitudinally shiftable with relation thereto, av disc shaped cam member pivotally mounted on and abutting the outer surface of said xed clamping member, said cam member being rotatable in a plane parallel to the plane of said clamping member, said cam member having a peripheral cam acting rib portion bent inwardly substantially at right angles to the plane thereof, and cam engaging means including perforations through the body of the movable clamping member, cooperating with said clam member in effecting relative fractional adjustments of said two clamping members.

2. A device of the class described comprising a sheet metal male clamping member having an elongated shank portion, a sheet metal female clamping member comprising an elongated shank portion having its edges reflexed inwardly and forming a channeled structure slidably embracing said shank portion of the male clamping member for substantially the full length thereof, one of said members being fixed and the other being longitudinally shiftable with relation thereto, a sheet metal cam member pivotally mounted on and abutting the outer surface of said xed clamping member, said cam member being rotatable in a plane parallel to the plane of said clamping members, said cam member having a peripheral cam actingr rib portion inwardly bent substantially at right angles to the bods7 thereof and having two diametrically opposite radially directed lugs offset from and bent outwardly of the body thereof, and cam engaging means including perforations .through the body of the movable clamping member, cooperating with said cam member in elfecting relative fractional adjustments of said two clamping members.

3. A device of the class described comprising a male clamping member having a relatively wide `and thin shank portion, a female clamping member having a shank portion slidably embracing the shank portion of said male clamping member, said female, shank Aportion having an opening uncovering part of the surface of the male shank portion, said mfale shank portion having a series of longitudinally spaced perforations and a disc shaped cam member, pivotally mounted on and abutting the outer surface of said female member, Vrotatable in a plane parallel tothe plane thereof, said cam member having a peripheral cam acting rib portion inwardly bent substantially at right angles to the body thereof, engageable with said perforations through said opening to effect relative fractional adjustments of said two clamping members.

4. A device of the class described comprising a sheet metal male clamping, member, a sheet metal female clamping member having its edges reflexed inwardly and forming a channeled structure slidably embracing said male clamping member, said female member having a shank portion embossed to forma central longitudinal ridge, said male clamping member having a shank portion similarly embossed to form a central longitudinal ridge nesting within the ridge of the female member, said female shank portion having an opening through said ridge uncovering part of the surface of the ridge of the male shank portion, said male shank portion having a series of longitudinally spaced perforations through its ridge, and a rotary cam member, pvotally mounted on said female shank portion and engageable with said perforations throughIv said opening to effect relative fractional adjustments of said two clamping members,

GUIDO M. SACERDO'IE. 

